Madness is a Quirk
by Lookathooves
Summary: Daedric Princes were unusual. Unusual in the fact that they came to mortals at the most random of times, often with the most random of requests.


Sheogorath is such an interesting character. I couldn't resist. Also, yes. I do believe Sheo is the Hero of Kvatch.

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 **Madness is a Quirk**

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Daedric Princes were unusual. Unusual in the fact that they came to mortals at the most random of times, often with the most random of requests.

Sheogorath prided himself in making himself known to mortals, enjoying the looks on their faces when he requested silly things. This time his target was a Breton woman whom he'd had his eye on for quite some time, now.

She woke up every morning as soon as the sun came up. She liked her tea without sugar. She was a helping hand at a little tavern called the Flowing Bowl. She enjoyed fishing every evening. She told jokes that were to die for and she always had a smile on her face - but she wasn't always happy.

Sometimes she was sad. And sometimes she was mad - very mad. Sometimes she spoke to herself. Sometimes she spoke to him. You might be thinking that the Daedric Prince was stalking that mortal girl! But no. He knew her because she told him.

Twice a week she would make the long journey on horseback to his shrine in the middle of the night to rant out her feelings to him. He would always listen. Once she even fell asleep at the foot of his statue. She felt at home there. She felt accepted there. She felt like he understood. Because nobody else did.

He knew her brother was always in the Imperial City working on projects for the Arcane University. He knew her parents had passed on to the next world some time ago. He also knew she was very lonely.

But Daedric Princes were very rarely sentimental towards mortals. In fact; some downright hated the fragile creatures and took to playing cruel games with them. Sheogorath, however, was not one of those Daedric Princes. Not that he didn't sometimes get the urge to be utterly cruel, but he rarely let it come to fruition.

But more curiously..

The mortal woman did not even act like his followers. Did not have the same level of insanity as they did. She was insane, that was for certain. But she did not show it most of the time. Her emotions would run rampant at times; sometimes she was extremely happy for days on end. Other times, she would be sad, frustrated and even on the verge of a mental breakdown. Even more curious was her sudden angry outbursts when she was in the presence of his shrine.

Angry outbursts about how her brother found more time with the mages at the university than her. He had many friends and she had none. He had many suitors and she had no one but drunkards approaching her.

Angry outbursts about how she had to deal with rowdy pirates at her current occupation. She could look like an absolute slob and they'd still grab her unmentionables.

Angry outburts about how her destruction magic was too out of control for her to manage. Poor girl was constantly burning things to crisps.

But Sheogorath discovered that she vented to him, for she had no one else to vent to. And who best to vent to than the Mad God, himself? For once again, she was indeed mad.

And it was going to be oh, so enjoyable helping her descend deeper into her madness.

It all started the day he decided to speak to her. When he spoke, he thought the girl was going to die from heart failure. He had asked for for one lettuce, a lesser soul gem, and a single spool of yarn. If she offered the items to him, he would speak to her more often. She was back within three hours, offering them to the shrine.

She seemed simple and maybe sort of an airhead, but she had potential to release her inner madness, for hers was already brimming on the edge of her very being. Assisting her in doing so would please him greatly - even more than when he had caused the _Rain of Burning Dogs_ on the quaint little Khajiit village. Ah - the days when he was mortal.

This mortal was fun to toy with. She was also quite amusing to listen to. Sheogorath didn't speak much. Instead she broke the silence with her lively chatter. But she soon became boring to him.

Until the day came when she experienced a great loss. She came to the shrine in the mid-day to rant out how she was utterly alone. How her brother had been attacked by bandits while traveling by carriage to the Imperial City. Apparently he had traveled too close to their camp. She cried and cried some more. But then she got angry. So angry that the mad god himself could almost feel the anger radiating off of her very being.

Then she got interesting. He spoke to her. Took his time to say a few words. Meaningful words that triggered something in her. Realization, maybe?

 _"Change is unstoppable. Kill them. Then relax and relish in the madness. Cheese is a good side for that."_

She left that day with a look of horror on her face and didn't come back. Quite disappointing that he seemed to have lost his mortal play thing, he did other things to keep himself entertained. Yet no one was quite as insane and enjoyable as that strange Breton girl.

So he waited.

And he waited some more.

And he waited until he got bored again with waiting.

Three weeks had past and he was still visited by his normal run-of-the-mill crazies, but no word on the girl.

Then she came. But she was different - very different. Instead of her dull looking dresses she had so frequently wore, she had came donned in black leather armor with a plain looking staff swung over her back. Her hair looked better too. No more plain Jane hair covering her face, as if she were hiding - no. Her hair was tied up, away from her face and she was actually quite aesthetically pleasing to the mortal eye.

But he'd still take the cheese over the girl.

Then she spoke.

She spoke of how she had gotten training in the mages guild. How she used her brothers death as a pity act for them to accept her - how utterly cruel and lovely!

She spoke of how she quit her horrible job at the Flowing Bowl and set the pirates on fire that had been harassing her day in and day out. She seemed pleased when she spoke of how many burn injuries she had given them - a present for their gropes and stares and lewd comments they had given her those many months.

Then she thanked him.

Him! A Daedric Prince that had succeeded in making her truly mad.

Thanked him for how he had made her confident. Thanked him for making her see the brighter side of things. Thanked him for realizing that embracing her inner madness was the greatest thing she could have possibly done.

For she tracked down her brother's killers and stabbed each and every one of them, relishing each crack of their bones and the colors of the blood on the bright green grass of the silent woods. Two Imperial men and a Redguard woman. She _enjoyed_ it.

Then she got interesting. Speaking of the randomness of things that brought light to darker situations that mortals favored oh, so much.

 _If she murdered three people in the middle of the woods and no one was around to hear, did they really make a noise or were the voices in her head?_

And her laughter - it was joyous! And she was truly and utterly insane!

That day she said good bye to him for the last time. Said she had to get her life in order and work on paying off a debt she had owed quite awhile ago.

And then she was gone.

And the Daedric Prince wasn't bored.

He had succeeded. And he loved it! But that wasn't the end of Sheogorath's influence, oh no. Not at all. It was only a matter of time before he found another poor soul to turn into a complete and utter madman.

And with any luck, his recent mad-woman would descent further into madness as her mortal life ticked.

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Thanks for reading! Remember - reviews are love!  
If you're interested in the insane girl, she's my Listener from my DB story, Child of Sithis.


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